For many of us, our laptop has become our window to the world, our way to connect and even our portable home theater. This is the moment for the laptop to evolve, to move beyond old expectations, to deliver a full, rich audio experience for both voice and media. That’s why today is the perfect time to announce the new XPS 15″ and 17″ with sound powered by Waves MaxxAudio Pro.
Voice conferencing is critical for connecting with others, but the truth is, the experience is rarely very satisfying. We’re conditioned to accept interruptions, glitches, garbled voices, and inadvertently talking over one another. These technical difficulties are more than annoying inconveniences: straining to understand each other causes stress, aggravation, and misunderstandings.
But on the new XPS with MaxxAudio Pro, a Zoom call to a friend, connecting with family on a special holiday, giving a presentation on Microsoft Teams, or jumping into a multinational workgroup meeting is smooth and seamless. That’s because the Waves audio processing technologies reduce background noise significantly and eliminate echoes so users can have productive conversations rather than trying desperately to catch a few words. Quiet voices can be difficult to understand; loud voices are distracting. On the new XPS, MaxxAudio Pro boosts quiet voices while leveling loud peaks, making the call quality consistent for all participants.
One of the root causes of talking over each other is that each laptop on a conference call is in a different acoustic space. With each of us in a different environment we are robbed of our ability to detect non-verbal cues, like that telltale inhale when someone is getting ready to jump into a conversation. On headphones, the new XPS includes Nx 3D audio technology. Waves Nx transports conference calls into a single, virtual space, bringing everybody in the call into a precision-tuned listening environment. This makes calls less awkward and more like familiar face-to-face communication. To provide an extra sense of realism, Nx includes headtracking technology that anchors sound in front of the caller even when the user turns to glance at notes or reaches for that cup of coffee.
The new XPS features major acoustic upgrades. One of the first things users will notice on the new XPS 15 and XPS 17 is the Quad Speaker design. On each side of the laptop keyboard, speaker grills shield powerful up-firing loudspeakers that can fill the listening space with music or soundtracks. Dell’s CinemaSound with Waves MaxxAudio Pro makes treble crisper to reveal more detail; it makes bass deeper for more impact; it makes dialog clearer allowing less volume riding. The new XPS is the first-ever PC featuring Waves Nx 3D audio for speakers tuned by multi-Grammy AWARD winning producer Jack Joseph Puig. With Nx speakers included in CinemaSound, any music, movie, or game expands into 3D, delivering panoramic depth and width that seems to radiate from the physical confines of the speakers from any listening position.
There has rarely been a time when hearing and being heard has been more important, when entertainment, music, podcasting, and videos have been a more valuable escape. We’re seeking to have those experiences on our laptops, fully, with no compromises, and XPS and Waves are meeting this moment with extraordinary sound on the new XPS 15″ and 17″.
